05.09.2024. » 14:01
#3 Trial Postponed for the Accused of War Crimes in the Region of Peja/Peć
The trial of the accused for war crimes in the Peja/Peć region, Millorad Gjoković, has been postponed. At the start of the hearing, the defense attorney of the accused, Vasilije Arsić, informed the court that he had not been provided with certain documents, and therefore proposed that today’s session be postponed.
The trial of the accused for war crimes in the Peja/Peć region, Millorad Gjoković, has been postponed. At the start of the hearing, the defense attorney of the accused, Vasilije Arsić, informed the court that he had not been provided with certain documents, and therefore proposed that today’s session be postponed.
The defense requested the translation of the minutes from the previous hearing, as well as the statements of the witnesses from that session, claiming that without these documents, they could nofurther continue with questioning the witness. In addition to the requested documents, besides the minutes and the witness statements, the defense also requested the statement of the injured party in this case, Ferit Morina, which had not been provided to the defense, not even in Albanian language.
The testimony of witness Halit Gashi, given at the previous session, had not been translated for the defense, and attorney Arsić stated that it was impossible to question the witness without knowing what had been previously said.
This proposal was accepted by the presiding judge, Valon Kurtaj, along with the two other judges, Vesel Ismajli and Arben Hoti.
The court postponed today’s session and announced that by the end of the day, they would attempt to secure the requested documentation in Serbian language. In that case, the next planned session can be held tomorrow, on September 6, 2024, at 9:30 AM.
At the initial hearing, which was held on July 20, 2023, the defendant entered a plea regarding the charges brought by the prosecution.
"I am not guilty," was the response of the accused to Judge Valon Kurtaj's question during the session on July 20, 2023.
The prosecutor in this case is Ilir Morina.
What does the prosecution's file say?
According to the prosecution’s file, during the Kosovo war between 1998 and 1999, in the village of Ozdrim near Peja and the surrounding villages, the accused violated international law by committing acts of murder, raids, beatings, mistreatment, arrest, torture, and inhumane and cruel treatment.
According to the indictment, the accused also expelled and deported dozens of Albanian civilians and imposed conditions akin to slavery. The individuals who were harmed by these actions were Albanians who had not participated in the conflict.
Additionally, according to the indictment, in the morning of May 1999, the accused, along with Serbian military, police, and paramilitary forces, initially surrounded the village of Ozdrim and then launched a military-police offensive.
The indictment states that the village was surrounded and then attacked from three directions by the Serbian military-police forces. As a result of these actions, six individuals of Albanian nationality were killed, and three others were injured. The last mentioned were initially taken to Peja Hospital, and later, according to the indictment, were executed and buried in the village of Lutogllavë.
Furthermore, the indictment mentions that five other people were killed during this offensive, but their bodies were never found, and they are still listed as missing persons today. The indictment also states that in the same military-police action, in which the accused participated, around 40 people were arrested and taken to a garage called "Shupa e Shemit," located near the police substation in Ozdrim, where they were held for approximately three days in inhumane conditions, in violation of all international legal standards.
Furthermore, the indictment states that these individuals were deprived of food and water, and were physically tortured. After three days, only 12 of them were released, while the remaining 28 were divided into three groups and transported to Peja, to a private house where the Serbian army command was located.
The prosecution’s file explains that these individuals were interrogated, tortured, and mistreated in cruel ways before being taken to the prison in Peja, and from there to the prison in Leskovac, Serbia, where the torture continued until they were finally released after the war ended with the help of the Red Cross.
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